What WSJ Canada Is Reading Wednesday

No strings attached.Fiat Chrysler Automobiles Tuesday dropped a request for government subsidies to retool and upgrade car-making operations in Ontario. Chief Executive Sergio Marchionne said the issue had become a “political football” and that Chrysler would finance the projects on its own. Though he gave the projects a green light, the CEO also said he had failed to show Canada how far other countries will go to win new auto-making jobs. Mr. Marchionne had previously called Canada “a guppy in shark-infested waters.”

Virtual Bonnie and Clyde? Alberta’s Flexcoin Inc., which calls itself a bitcoin bank, said hackers stole 896 bitcoins, or about C$670,000. The theft forced it to shut down. That comes after Mt. Gox, a much larger bitcoin exchange, said last month that more than $470 million of the virtual currency had vanished from its coffers.

Election call. Quebec Premier Pauline Marois is looking to convert her minority government into a majority mandate. Identity issues are likely to take center stage in the provincial election race.

And you thought bar stools were for perching at a bar. In this Wisconsin town, people attach them to skis and race down snowy slopes.

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Canada Real Time provides insight and analysis into what’s making news in Canada, a country punching above its weight on the world stage thanks to its vast resources and strong banking sector. Drawing on the expertise of The Wall Street Journal and Dow Jones Newswires, we take a look at developments in fields ranging from business to politics to culture. You can contact the editors at canadaeditors@dowjones.com